


Light and Laughter

by AnimalCops



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, how do I tag things, im bad at naming things, the title might change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-11-25 20:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18170996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimalCops/pseuds/AnimalCops
Summary: Hope and Lyall Lupin loved their son more than anything in the world. He had some problems with his illness but it didn’t make them love him any less. In fact, they admired his strength and pride. They felt blessed by his light and laughter. Ever since Dumbledore came and told them that Remus could go to school, they had seen him thrive. Their son smiled brighter, laughed louder, and certainly was more creative in his pranks since he met those friends of his.





	1. Chapter 1

Lyall Lupin was a gentle man. He graced the world with soft smiles and gentle eyes. He learned early in his adult life that whenever he felt angry it would bring untold misfortunes to his life, so he always tried to stay positive. There was a key to staying positive, Lyall had found. It was focusing on the things he had, rather than the things that upset him. Lyall had a good job, a loving wife, and a son that just turned thirteen. 

Hope and Lyall Lupin loved their son more than anything in the world. He had some problems with his illness but it didn’t make them love him any less. In fact, they admired his strength and pride. They felt blessed by his light and laughter. Ever since Dumbledore came and told them that Remus could go to school, they had seen him thrive. Their son smiled brighter, laughed louder, and certainly was more creative in his pranks since he met those friends of his. 

Lyall took his reading glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose when he heard the knock ring out in his office. “Come in,” He said, voice soft with a light Welsh lilt. 

The door creaked open and Remus stuck his head in. Lyall’s heart ached to see the new scars that graced his son’s cheek. But his heart swelled immediately after upon seeing the happy smile that curved the boy’s lips. “Dad! Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Of course you can.” He shuffled the papers he had been working on and moved them to the side of his desk. He covered the ink well and set his quill down. “Come, sit down.”

Remus slipped into the room and shut the door quietly behind him. Lyall smiled. Remus did nearly everything with a fluid grace and near silence. The boy had such a calming air about him, it was a wonder how he managed to hide that scheming mind of his. 

“I just have a question.” Remus said, sitting down in the chair that faced his father’s desk. He put his hands on the desk and grinned, thumbs tapping rhythmically on the wood. If Lyall hadn’t grown up raising the boy, he would have never noticed the nervous tick. 

“Yes, I gathered that, son.” Lyall chuckled. “What’s your question?”

“Well!” He started loudly and quickly lowered his voice back down from the peak of excitement. “Well, I was wondering if I could have my friends come over?” The tapping grew faster. “Only, there’s still one month left of summer and I miss them.”

“Ah, yes, right.” Lyall mused. “Those mischievous friends of yours. The friends that cause owls to come home during the school year?”

“The very same!” Remus beamed, as though those owls reporting on his misdeeds were the pride of his school year.

Lyall chuckled. “You know,” he lowered his voice playfully. “Your mother still isn’t very happy about you putting hair dye potion in her shampoo.”

Rolling his sparkling green eyes, Remus feigned upset. “She looked _great_ with blue hair, Dad.” 

The elder man noted that the tapping slowed down as Remus got more comfortable in their conversation. “I agree! But she sure didn’t.”

“And anyway,” The boy pushed on, “if my friends are here I would be distracted from bothering you and Mom.” 

“Oh,” Lyall leaned back in his seat, eyebrows raised, smile practically glued on his lips. “Is that your angle? If your friends are here you won’t be prone to putting cockroach clusters in my cereal?”

“That was only one time. I can’t help it!”

“You can’t help putting chocolate covered bugs in my breakfast?” A brow arched further in question. 

“Okay, I can help that. But I can’t help being so bored. I can only tend the garden with Mom so often before I get tired of looking at vegetables.”

“Why do you think I’m so glad you’re home?” Lyall chuckled. “I’m off the hook.”

“Yeah, so I’ll do the gardening and my friends can come visit?”

“The Potter boy, Pettigrew, and Black?” 

“Yeah! Yeah, and we can stay in my room and we’ll keep out of your way when you do your work and we’ll be real quiet when you say so, Dad, I swear!”

“I know you swear it, but I can’t trust your friends now can I?” He waved his hand in the air idly, his voice growing more dramatic, “Oh, if they were to break a rule you yourself set!”

“They do that all the time at school.” Remus huffed. “But they never get into too much trouble.”

“The stack of letters from McGonagall would beg to differ.” Lyall raised his voice a pitch to imitate the transfiguration professor. “‘Mister Lupin, your son and his friends somehow managed to charm all the suits of armor to Irish step dance! It took over an hour to finally figure out a counter curse.’” And his voice went back to normal, “Impressive.”

“Thanks,” Remus beamed brightly. 

“Yes, yes. You can have your friends over. On one condition, Remus.” He held up his index finger. “No cockroach clusters in my cereal.”

“Deal!! Thanks, Dad!”

Lyall watched his son leap up from the chair and run out of the room. The door closed softly behind him. 

———

Hope Lupin puttered around the kitchen early in the morning the next day. Remus had owled his friends the day before and they were to arrive in the afternoon. Hope kept her home spotless despite the best efforts of her husband and son trying to leave messes. She had no idea how they could track so much mess into the house. She found the cleaning relaxing and the only time she got dirty was when she was out in the garden.

Lyall walked over to her as she stood at the kitchen sink, washing a plate that had been used for breakfast. He kissed her cheek gently and chuckled when she jumped a little at the sudden realization that she wasn’t alone. 

“Lyall!” She splashed him lightly with water from the sink and laughed airily when suds of soap clung to his hair. “Must you always scare me?”

“Must you always get so scared?” He asked back. “You should be used to it by now, dear.” He glanced down at the sink and back to her. “Want some help?”

She shoved the wet plate and a dry cloth to his chest and smiled sweetly. “You can dry.”

He took the items and got to work, knowing to dry the right amount so she would be satisfied by the cleanliness. “Are you nervous?”

“Nervous about what?”

“Nervous about having four terrors running around your clean home.” Lyall chuckled heartily. “You’ll have to hold back from yelling at them for silly things like you do to me and Remus.”

Hope feigned insult. “I don’t yell!”

“Sorry, sorry.” Lyall said, putting the plate down on the counter carefully, “Let me correct myself. You need to hold back from screeching-”

“Lyall!” She swung at him with a wet rag, laughing, and he dodged out of the way. 

He chuckled and made it around the kitchen table without being hit by the cloth. Holding his hands up in defeat he grinned. "I'm sorry!"

"You're not sorry, you ass." Hope threw the rag at him and laughed when it hit him in the face. 

He pulled the rag off, smiling happily, "No, I'm not." 

Remus walked into the kitchen, the front door of the homey cottage swinging closed after him. He glanced over at his parents, "I weeded the garden." 

Hope turned the faucet of the sink off and turned to face him. "Thank you, Remus. Are you excited to see your friends?"

He gave a rapid nod, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs and sitting down, "Yeah! I mean, I know they'll be out of the depth here - except maybe Peter."

"Why's that?" Hope asked.

"The Potters and Blacks are very old pureblood families." Lyall said, setting a glass of water in front of his son, who accepted it gratefully. "Y'know," He held his arms out wide, "big, huge, old manor houses," then held his hands very close together, "compared to our tiny, little cottage." 

"But they'll be happy here because they get to see Remus," Hope pointed out, making her son blush faintly. 

"Mom!"

"It's true." Lyall said with a nod, "and they'll be here soon. Did you clean your room, son?"

"Yeah. Can you help me out with some spells so they have a place to sleep?" 

"Of course! Lead the way."

Remus hopped off the chair and fled the room, taking the corner so fast that his socks slid on the hardwood floor, and running up the stairs two steps at a time. 

"I swear, that boy has far too much energy. He's going to drive his poor father into the grave."

"You aren't that old, Lyall."

"He sure makes me feel it sometimes, though." He stretched and rolled his shoulders, wincing when a bone popped. He gave a pointed look to his wife. "See?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope and Lyall get to meet Remus' school friends.

Hope let out a little shriek when three thirteen year old boys tumbled out of her fireplace at a quarter past noon. She stumbled backwards but managed to keep her footing. Almost immediately afterward - as she was trying to calm her heart rate - she heard feet stampeding down the stairs of the cottage. Remus and Lyall appeared in the doorway to the living room suddenly, taking in the sight before them. 

After two long seconds, Lyall burst out into a fit of laughter, doubling over and holding his middle. Remus snorted suddenly and joined his father in his fit. 

Sirius Black, who had managed to untangle from the pile of limbs and soot on the floor, arched a brow. “Did we… come to the right house?”

Hope sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking over at her husband and son. “Yes, I’m sure you did.” The two were clinging onto each other, laughing still, nearly breathless by the time Sirius helped the other two boys up. 

“Uh…” James elbowed Sirius in the side. “Moony’s lost it.”

Remus wiped tears from his eyes and coughed hard, his laughter coming to an end. He patted his father’s arm and, slowly, Lyall’s cackles quieted as well. Remus smiled, his eyes watery. “You should’ve seen yourselves.” He said to the room as a whole. He looked over at Hope, “Mum! You screamed so loud, too!”

Hope gave a stern look to her husband that made him jump a little. She was little but fierce and he knew she could get back at him. Remus didn’t get his prankster nature from Lyall, that was for sure. 

Lyall set his hand on the top of Remus’ head and ruffled the brown curls. “Now, son…” He said, still a bit breathless from laughing, still with tears in his eyes, “Be nice to your mother.”

Remus smiled at Hope. “Sorry, Mom!”

“Why don’t you introduce your friends, son?” Lyall prodded, pushing the boy toward the others. 

“Oh, right!”

Lyall smiled. He just couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. Remus was so excited he was vibrating with energy. He was normally a happy boy besides the days surrounding the full moon but this was a happiness that his parents had yet to see. To see Remus have his closest friends come to his house - to his safe place, the place that made him feel warm and comfortable and loved - caused the joyous energy to pour from him. 

“Mom, Dad, these are my friends from school,” Remus motioned to each friend in turn. “James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black.”

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, ma’am, sir.” Sirius held his hand out for them to shake. 

Lyall clasped the hand in his own. “Those manners! Remus could take lessons from you.”

The young werewolf snorted. “Only because he wants to make a good impression.”

“It’s lovely to meet you all,” Hope said sweetly, looking at the boys. “I’m Hope and this is Lyall. We’re thrilled to have you over. Why don’t you go play outside while we finish making lunch? I hope you’re hungry!”

“Starved!” Peter piped up. 

“Thanks, Mrs Lupin!” James grinned. 

Remus started ushering the three of them toward the front door. “Thanks Mom!”

———

Lyall peeked out the window that sat above the kitchen sink, watching the four teenagers running around outside. He had no idea what they were playing but they made it look like fun. His thoughts wandered, as they usually did, to far off questions, impossible to know and rarely did he ever want to utter them aloud. He watched the boys run until one, Pettigrew?, fell face first into a puddle from last night’s rain. The other three paused in their play and turned to look at him. Pettigrew lifted his head, face covered in mud, and blinked a few times. The Potter boy burst out into a fit of laughter, pointing at the misfortune of the other boy. And the rest of them joined in, even Pettigrew. 

“Lyall,” Hope’s voice got through to him suddenly and he looked over at her. He realized from her expression, she must have been trying to talk to him for a little while now. “What are you thinking about that has you so far into another world?”

“Ah,” He gave a small shrug. “Not sure really. What do you think of his friends? They seem like a good bunch. Do you think they know?”

“Let’s focus on the positive, dear,” She reminded him gently. “Or focus on what I don’t want to focus on.”

“What?” 

“Did you see all the soot they left all over the living room floor? You wizards figured out a way to travel by fireplace but not how to do it _cleanly_?” 

Lyall laughed. “You’re really so concerned about it?” He pulled out his wand from his pants pocket and walked to the doorway of the kitchen, peeking into the living room. He pointed the wand at the little dusting of green and black soot. “ _Scourgify_.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “You know, I highly doubt that actually cleans anything.”

“What are you talking about!” Lyall said, defeated. “Look, Love, the mess is gone.”

“Yes, but where did it go?”

Holding up his index finger, he shook it in her direction. “You’ve got me there. I have no idea.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes, setting four plates on the kitchen table. “You’re ridiculous.”

"Magic is a fickle thing, my love!" Lyall cooed airly, far too dramatically. He moved swiftly back into the kitchen and over to her. 

"Magic sounds a lot like the man who uses it." 

Lyall put a hand to his chest and opened his mouth in a dramatic gasp. "Why I never!" 

He smiled broadly and took her hands in his. He spun them both in a small circle between the kitchen table and the sink; once, twice, and a third time before pulling her close to him. She only came up to his chest and she leaned against it, pressing herself to the warmth and safety that she felt. Lyall wrapped his arms around her and sighed happily, rocking her slightly as he held her. Lyall leaned down and kissed the top of her head gently. 

They stood there in comfortable silence for a few long moments. Their silences were always comfortable. While Lyall could talk for ages, cracking jokes and trying to get Hope to laugh, they never felt like they needed to fill a void with chatter. And that's how Hope knew that what they had was special. 

The door opened softly, as it always did when Remus was the one that opened it, and Lyall glanced up. He still held his wife to himself, and his grip only tightened a fraction out of startled reflex.

"Ugh!" Remus flushed and quickly shut the door on his friend James' face. "Mom, Dad! My friends are over! Cut it out!"

One heartbeat.

And a second. 

And Lyall burst out in a fit of laughter.


End file.
